ARC Lecture Series: BB&T’s John Allison on the financial crisis — VOICES for REASON

This past January, ARC hosted a talk by BB&T chairman of the board John Allison at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. About three hundred were in attendance on a cold Thursday evening to hear the talk titled, “The Financial Crisis: Causes and Possible Cures.” The lecture portion of that event is now available on the ARC website.

Mr. Allison began his service at BB&T (a large financial services company) in 1971 and served as chairman and CEO from 1989 through the close of 2008, and during his tenure BB&T has grown from $4.5 billion to $137 billion in assets. The government’s recent massive intervention into the financial industry began some months before Mr. Allison retired from his post as CEO. In this talk, he shares his views of what contributed to the current financial crisis and some of his proposed solutions for moving us towards a stronger economy. He peppers the talk with anecdotes and first-hand observations. There’s an amusing moment about a personal conversation with Barney Frank, and loads of particulars showing how government agencies and regulations disrupt good business practice. It’s worth a listen.

On our web site you can also find ARC commentary on the financial crisis.